A Little Bit of Magic
by Rugbeewrites
Summary: Friendship, Love, Adventure, Magic. Mateo de Alva's life is never boring- especially with a headstrong Princess at his side. *A collection of moments in the lives of a Princess and her Royal Wizard.*
1. Injury

_**A/N: Thank you guys so much for all the positive feedback from my last fic! I've seriously always been more of an illustrator than writer, so you guys can seriously thank**_ **PizzaNSunshine _for all the encouragement to post this stuff! Please let me know what you think- your feedback seriously means more to me than you know!_**

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 **1\. Injury**

"I'm so sorry..!"

Mateo sighed, looking up at the equally pained and apologetic expression on Elena's face. Her normally bright smile was contorted into a grimace as she looked down at the fresh, red cut that now adorned her skin. Their little adventure hadn't gone exactly to plan. He chuckled breathily, looking back down to her wounded leg.

"Sorry? Elena, I don't think this is something you're supposed to apologize for." He said amusedly as he wrapped her leg with his sash– though he couldn't help but feel a little guilty himself for not being able to stop the accident before it happened.

"But your sash–"

"–Can be easily washed. Really, Elena, It's fine."

Elena peered at him through long eyelashes. His kind face was calm and his smile was reassuring– he really was trying his best to reassure her, but Elena knew him better than that. Mateo was quick to react and able to stay calm in almost any situation, even when he wanted to freak out. However, he was also very empathetic. For all that the pain she was in, she knew he was feeling it for her as well.

As if sensing her thoughts, he briefly glanced up to her again and grinned– but this time Elena saw the anxiety that clouded his hazel eyes. She reached over and placed her hand on his as he finished tying the knot. He stopped, and gazed up at her, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"What–"

"I'm sorry I worried you." She whispered, and she squeezed his hand.

Mateo's eyes were wide as they searched hers, and he sighed once more, another amused smile playing on his lips. He tugged her hand closer, before leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. With a roguish smile, he glanced at her again, lips hovering over her knuckles. Elena's heart fluttered, and she felt her cheeks warm in response.

"Well, I suppose we could always retry this little rendezvous– maybe without the rock climbing next time?"


	2. Caught

_**A/N: Welcome back! I'm doing a 'kiss/ sweet moment' fic challenge over on tumblr, so I'll be posting a lot of them over here! If you have any of your own, send me it over there! It may take a while, but I promise I'll get to it when I can! Hope you enjoy this one! Make sure to let me know what you think- feedback seriously motivates me like no other!**_

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 **2\. Caught**

"Elena, your grandmother is going to kill us!"

Elena laughed and glanced over her shoulder at her friend, Mateo, who watched her nervously as she picked up one of her grandmother's treats. The two of them had wandered down into the kitchens when she remembered that her grandmother had prepared fresh Guava Pastelitos. During a break from their magical training, Elena and Mateo had found her working hard on the delicious dessert; and followed their noses to the sweet smell of the pastries. Luisa had eyed Elena critically, knowing all too well that her granddaughter would try to sneak a few off before the luncheon she had planned for the next day.

" _Elena."_ She had warned, a threatening wooden spoon in her hand, _"I have a hard enough time trying to keep your grandfather off them! The Pastelitos are for my luncheon. In other words, STAY AWAY."_

A warning that had gone unheeded.

"Don't worry, Mateo! She isn't going to kill us over just one! We can share it!" Elena said, breaking the dessert in two. She turned to face him, holding his share out. Mateo eyed it warily, but still took it from her hand.

"I'm pretty sure she said to keep away from _all_ of them."

"A suggestion!" Elena laughed again, before she walked over. She playfully bumped him with her hip when she saw he still looked uncertain. Mateo's heart raced at her sudden closeness. "Relax, Mateo! Just enjoy it! They're one of my favorites! Besides, I _am_ going to be Queen in a few months!"

Mateo raised an eyebrow at her eagerness, and his lips quirked into a grin. Sighing in defeat, he lifted up his treat as Elena did the same.

" _Salud_!" Elena cried.

"May Luisa be merciful." Mateo prayed. They smiled as their eyes met, and they lifted the treat to their lips.

 _ **Whack!**_

"Ay! _Dios Mio_! Who put that bucket there?" An older, irritated voice grumbled from down the hall.

Elena and Mateo's eyes widened in panic, and they glanced around the corner as a shadow descended on the floor of the kitchen. Mateo stepped back, reaching behind to grab Elena. "Elena.. We're going to get caught!" He whispered anxiously. There was silence, and Mateo turned his head, "Elen– AGH!"

Elena firmly grasped the belt of his robe, and tugged as hard as she could. Mateo stumbled back into Elena's arms, just as she reached just past him to shut to door to the broom closet. Darkness enveloped them in the crowded room, and Mateo found himself wedged between a very hard door– and a very soft Elena.

His breath froze in his throat, though not just from fear of getting caught. The deafening silence was heavy on his ears— his racing heartbeat even louder. She was close.. so close he was sure if he moved his head even an inch, his nose would brush hers. Her body was pressed against his, and he wondered if she could feel his erratically beating heart against her chest.

Elena looked up at Mateo, trying to find his eyes in the darkness. Her breath came rapidly, the adrenaline from before still coursing through her veins. When her eyes finally met his, she felt a tingling warmth spread through her chest. She hadn't realized how close a fit this closet was.

As the footsteps wandered closer, Elena smiled at him faintly— a mixture of reassurance and anticipation, and she grasped the soft fabric of his robes.

The two could hear the footsteps right outside the door, now, and Mateo tried his best not to appreciate the way Elena help him tighter. It was bad enough that they were nearly caught snacking on the pastelitos, but to have to explain the closet, too? Mateo made a faint distressed noise, and closed his eyes.

Elena watched his face and every emotion that played on it. When his eyes shut, Elena found herself trying to memorize every detail. Her eyes traced the soft curls that framed his face, and the slight curve of his nose. She watched as his eyelashes fluttered open, and revealed a stormy golden gaze— one that she couldn't remember ever seeing before. Her eyes drifted down to his mouth, and she heard an audible swallow as his fingers pressed into the small of her back.

Outside, Luisa made a tutting noise, no doubt noticing the missing pastelito. "Francisco!" She grumbled, before turning on her heel. The footsteps echoed further away from the closet, and Elena, distracted as she was, barely noticed.

She exhaled shakily, her breath fanning across his neck, and although they had almost been caught, she was almost certain it wasn't fear that had left her breathless. She couldn't explain the sudden urge— close as they were— to pull him closer. There was a strong desire burning at the pit of her stomach, and in that moment she decided to do something about it. Mateo watched as her gaze shifted to his mouth again, and his heart raced as she bumped her nose against his chin.

"Elena.."

It was meant to be a warning. But when her name fell from his lips in a breathy whisper, Elena's chocolate brown eyes looked deep into his, and whatever reservations he had vanished in an instant.

His heart raced as Elena's hands grasped his robe, pulling him to her as her lips crashed onto his.

Mateo responded almost immediately, his own hands encircling her small waist, and he pulled her impossibly closer.

Elena sighed, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and the insistent pressure of his own lips meeting hers. Her fingers crept up his back as he slanted his mouth across her lips, and she found her own kisses becoming more urgent. This had been coming for a long time. Almost too long. They had danced around this urge for so long, both of them too distracted as they found their places in the kingdom. Now that the gates had been opened, Elena knew that things would never be the same.

She pulled away for a moment, taking a second to catch her breath before Mateo kissed her again— hard— and again, peppering her mouth with burning kisses. Elena reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth hard against her parted lips. She could taste the faint sweetness of the pastelito on his lips, and she smiled at the satisfied noise Mateo made.

Her lips pulled away for a second, and she kissed the side of his mouth. She kissed that same curve of his nose, and just below his hazel eyes. Her hands slide down to hold his face as she kissed his flushed cheeks and chin and every bit of him that she memorized moments earlier.

"Elena.." her name came out like a prayer, and Mateo's eyes slid shut. He was dizzy with the sensation, as her lips descended on every inch of his face. When they returned to his lips again, he eagerly responded. God help him, if this moment could last forever, he would gladly stay prisoner to it.

His lips slid just beneath her chin, and Elena's head tilted back. She sighed, bringing her hands back up and into his hair. He kissed along her jawline enjoying the sound of her breaths at his ear. She grasped his shoulders now, and Mateo captured her lips in his again— both far too gone to notice anything else in the world.

Including the sounds of the footsteps that had returned just outside the closet door.

 _CLICK_

The two separated instantly with an audible smack of their lips, and Elena and Mateo gasped, their heads jerking back to the door. The door was still closed. Mateo looked back to Elena, his hair adorably disheveled and lips swollen, and he arched his eyebrow.

"Was that—"

"You know," Luisa called haughtily from the other side of the door, "If you two _ladronitos_ wanted to hide from me, you might want to try being a little quieter!"

Mateo looked at Elena's still flushed face helplessly, and Elena groaned dropping her head against his chest.

"Abuela…"

"Here I was, feeling a little bad, and ready to come over and bring you two a little snack." She said dramatically. "Only to find that you two have helped yourselves… well at least tried to judging by the pieces on the floor." She paused, thoroughly enjoying their distress. Mateo, no doubt, was on the verge of having a heart attack and Elena was beginning to piece together what her abuela's tone meant.

" _Abuela?"_ Elena said lowly, suddenly suspicious.

"I was wondering what I could do to get back at you two. But I'm feeling a bit merciful. So I figured since you two seem to be enjoying each other's company so much, I'd leave you two alone…"

Elena hastily reached for the doorknob behind Mateo as she realized what the clicking sound meant.

It was locked.

"Abuela!" Elena cried, shaking the knob a couple times more. She looked up at Mateo, who had a look of panic on his face, and pulled the door once more. "She locked us in!"

Mateo groaned, and dropped his head back against the door with a thump. Luisa laughed, and sat down on a nearby chair.

"Don't worry, you two! I'll just be right here enjoying a little pastelito! You two take your time!" She took a bite, and smiled. "Oh, this is delicious!"

Elena sighed, defeated, and dropped her head on Mateo's chest, arms snaking around his waist. Mateo glanced down at her briefly, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his chin resting atop her head.

For all the fun Luisa was having, Elena knew she was going to be in trouble once they got out. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of woods and spice from Mateo's robe— no doubt from all the herbs and potions he handled— and exhaled.

She may be in for it when she got out, but after what she just shared with Mateo, she wouldn't take back any of it for anything in the world.


	3. Catch

_**A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! Thanks again for all the prompt requests and (more importantly) all the amazing reviews! Please continue to let me know what you think! Feedback is the most valuable thing you can give a beginner writer!**_

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 _ **3\. Catch**_

All things considered, Mateo considered himself a very good wizard. He wasn't the best– at least not yet– but for being entirely self taught, he wasn't too bad. Mateo also considered himself to be a pretty good dancer, contrary to popular belief. He may not be a very good waltzer, but give him any traditional Avaloran dance, and he could dance and twirl and dip his partner until they beamed with delight. Sports weren't exactly a specialty, but he wasn't half bad at Olaball. He could kick and pass, and was a pretty good team player. He could definitely keep up with Gabe, and was at least half as good as Elena and Naomi.

However, one thing Mateo was definitely not good with was horses.

Which explained why, on this particular day, he was hanging off an unstable branch— one that hung from a dried up tree which happened to overlook a rather _large_ and _steep_ canyon.

His hands clenched around the branch, shaking from both fear and adrenaline, and he quickly glanced at his tamborita holster– too frightened to move. He groaned at the empty holster, realizing that his tamborita must have fallen out sometime after his horse flung him off it's back.

To be fair, it really wasn't so much his horse's fault as it was his. Some earth had come loose below his horse's hoof while they raced alongside Elena, and Mateo had mistakenly steered him in the wrong direction. When he realized they were galloping rather quickly toward the canyon, he panicked, completely forgetting how to stop. His horse, recognizing the danger, stopped suddenly and as a result sent Mateo flying– rather comically– toward the tree.

Of course there was nothing funny about it right now. Not while he dangled helplessly over the steep gorge. He squeezed his eyes shut when his vision started spinning. "This is not good… not good!"

Canela's galloping could be heard approaching quickly, and Elena steered her to a stop. Clouds of dirt billowed around, and Elena jumped down quickly.

"Mateo! Hold on!" She cried, her heart pounding in her chest. She took a deep breath, willing herself to stay calm as she tried to think of a way to get him down. He was safe for now— but not for much longer if she didn't calm down and think of a way to help him. She grabbed a rope she kept in her saddle bag, and threw it over her shoulder before rushing back to the tree.

She looked at the tree base, and tapped it a bit with her toe to see if she could get a good foothold, and climb close enough to help Mateo get above solid ground at least. However the root crumbled under her weight, causing the tree to shake.

Mateo cried out, shaking his head quickly. "No good, Elena! The tree is dead! It's going to split and fall if too much weight is on it!"

"What do I do?" She spun around, and her eyes darted around the tree as she tried to think of anyway to get him down. Eyeing the branches, she quickly dismissed the idea to use them as a pulley to guide him back to the ground— they all looked very weak.

Mateo's hands grasped the tree tighter, swearing that he would never ride a horse again. As Elena watched, she realized that although she couldn't exactly get to the branch he was on, the branch right next to him was close enough to him to reach.

"I got it!"

Elena quickly tied the rope into a loop and knotted it as quick as she could. The branches were beginning to crack under Mateo's weight— they didn't have much time.

She twirled it over head, and tossed it as close as she could get it to Mateo's white knuckled hands. "Mateo! Grab the rope!" Elena ran back over to Canela, and knotted the other end of the rope to her saddle.

"I can't! The branch will snap if I move!" Mateo was shaking as he heard the small pops from tree trunk. He extended his fingers slowly trying to reach the rope, but when the tree grumbled at the movement, he held onto the branch tighter.

Elena looped the rope around her forearm and fist, and steadied her feet, "Mateo! You have to grab the rope! I'll catch you!"

He opened an eye, and took a deep breath. He extended his arm, slowly trying to grab the loop just inches away. He cursed his nerves— his hands were shaking too much.

"Mateo!"

Almost too suddenly, there was a loud pop. The tree swayed forward— with Mateo still hanging on— and Elena's heart stopped.

"MATEO!"

There was a moment when everything seemed to happen at once. A cloud of dust exploded into the air, immediately blinding them. "MATEO!" Elena cried, choking on the clouds of dust around her. A quick second went by, and suddenly there was a hard jolt— nearly knocking Elena off her feet, and she dug her heels in the ground.

"Canela! Go, girl!"

On command, Elena's horse tugged the rope that Elena wound around her saddle. Elena pulled the rope with her, praying with every fiber in her body that Mateo would be there.

As the dust settled, Elena rushed forward to the edge of the canyon. She almost cried with relief when she saw wide hazel eyes staring back at her.

Elena reached forward, grabbing the collar of his robe, and pulled hard as he tried to climb up. There was one final tug from Canela, and Mateo pitched forward crashing into Elena as the two fell into a heap on the ground.

Elena felt his weight lift the slightest bit, and watched as his face turned beet red when he saw her beneath him. She smiled at him reassuringly, and reached up to hold onto his forearms. "You're ok!" She sighed, squeezing his arms.

Mateo pushed himself back, face still burning red, and he muttered a quick apology. Her hands slid into his, and he tugged her up.

"Thanks to you." He replied. He sighed loudly and tilted his head back. "Remind me not to ride a horse EVER again."

"At least not until after next week!" Elena laughed, her heart rate finally slowing down. She inched closer, and wrapped her arms around his middle, burying her face into his chest. Mateo glanced at her briefly, before groaning dramatically and dropping back on the dusty ground. Elena laughed as she tumbled down on top of him.

"Just until next week, huh?" He murmured, a playful grin on his face. Elena smiled down at him, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Well, I can't have you risking your life again! We have a date this weekend!" She lifted herself onto her hands, and hovered over his body. "You're kind of a big deal in the whole thing."

Mateo laughed, and rubbed her back soothingly. "Ok. So, no dangling off cliffs until after the wedding. Got it. What happens after that?"

Elena smiled and dropped her forehead against his. "You don't have to worry about that. No matter how many times you manage to get yourself thrown into a tree, I'll always be here to catch you."

Mateo chuckled, tilting his chin up to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

"I think I can live with that."


End file.
